REGINA QU'APPELLE HEALTH REGION IMPROVES PATIENT CARE AND STAFF SAFETY

Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region (RQHR) has received $2.42 million in federal funding to improve patient care and make its health facilities safer for staff. The funding is part of the $66 million given to Saskatchewan as a result of the 2004 First Ministers' Meeting.

Saskatchewan Health has approved the Regional Health Authority's plan to address safety and patient care priorities in its health facilities. The amount of funding the region received is based on the percentage of long-term, acute care and mental health beds in the health region.

"This funding will help patients, by providing equipment that contributes directly to their care and comfort," Health Minister John Nilson said. "It will also benefit caregivers, by helping health regions address staff needs so that we can improve safety and reduce injuries in our health facilities. We are committed to doing everything we can to retain our valuable health care providers and give our patients the best possible care environment."

The health region's planned investments include patient lifts, electric beds and stretchers, birthing beds, blood pressure monitors, ventilators, lab equipment, mobile lead shields for nuclear medicine staff, and equipment designed to transport or accommodate heavy patients.

Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region is committed to providing a safe workplace for our employees," Vice-President of Human Resources for RQHR Jane Lindstrom said. "This new equipment will allow us to continue to meet our commitment, and help our employees perform their daily duties in a way that reduces the risk of injuries on the job."

"Our region strives to provide good care to all our patients, and it is important to have up-to-date equipment to use in providing that care," Vice-President of Specialty Care for RQHR Diane Larivee said. "Purchasing this equipment will move us closer to our goal of keeping up with changing technology, and adds to our ongoing efforts to replace older equipment."

Additional federal funding has been set aside for health regions for other priority areas, including purchasing diagnostic equipment, reducing surgical and diagnostic wait times, and health provider recruitment and retention.

The federal funding available this fiscal year amounts to about three per cent of Saskatchewan's $2.7 billion annual health budget. Of the $66 million dollars provided, Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region will directly receive over $10 million.

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For More Information, Contact:

Mark Torjusen Public Affairs, Regina Qu'Appelle Health Region Regina Phone: (306) 766-5332